Device control apparatus, device control method and program for initiating control of an operation of an external device

ABSTRACT

There is provided a device control apparatus, a device control method and a program capable of easily initiating control of an operation of an external device through an application according to a status of the external device and a usage status of the application. An application for controlling an operation of an AV amplifier is acquired from an application server, a status of the AV amplifier and a usage status of the application are determined upon startup of the application, a screen according to the result of the determination is displayed in order to arrange an operation environment of the application and then a manipulation screen for controlling the operation of the AV amplifier through the application is displayed, and the operation of the AV amplifier is controlled according to a user manipulation performed through the manipulation screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/726,737, filed on Dec. 26, 2012, which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 12/979,953, filed on Dec. 28, 2010, which claims priorityfrom Japanese Patent Application No. P2010-000249, filed Jan. 4, 2010 inthe Japanese Patent Office, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device control apparatus, a devicecontrol method and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art

A television receiver that acquires various applications from anapplication server and executes the applications on the televisionreceiver is known (e.g., International Publication No. 2008/093780).Here, the television receiver often constitutes an audio visual (AV)system together with an external device, such as an AV amplifier,connected to the television receiver. In this system, manipulations forcontrolling the television receiver and the external device are oftennot sufficiently systematized. In this case, a user performs themanipulation for controlling the system using both of a remote controlof the television receiver and a remote control of the external device,resulting in cumbersome manipulation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For this reason, for example, the applicant is developing a systemcapable of sufficiently systematizing a manipulation of the system byacquiring an application for controlling an external device from anapplication server and executing the application on a televisionreceiver. In this system, when the application acquired from theapplication server is started up with a manipulation by a user, controlof the external device through the application using a remote control ofthe television receiver becomes possible.

However, the user often tries to initiate the control of the externaldevice through the application without arranging an applicationoperation environment in advance. In particular, since the applicationis acquired from the application server, the user tends to easilyinitiate the control of the external device. In this case, the user maynot initiate the control until the user arranges the applicationoperation environment through, for example, a setting of the status ofthe external device. In particular, it is cumbersome for the user to setthe status in an initial use of the application, but it is notcumbersome in second and subsequent uses since the operation environmenthas already been arranged.

It is desirable to provide a device control apparatus, a device controlmethod and a program capable of easily initiating control of anoperation of an external device through an application according to astatus of the external device and a usage status of the application.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided adevice control apparatus including an application acquisition unit foracquiring an application for controlling an operation of an externaldevice from an application server, a display unit for displaying videoinformation and a processing result based on the application, a signalinput/output unit for receiving a signal indicating a status of theexternal device and outputting a signal for controlling the externaldevice, a determination unit for determining the status of the externaldevice and a usage status of the application upon startup of theapplication, a display control unit for controlling the display unit todisplay a screen according to the result of the determination in orderto arrange an operation environment of the application, and then displaya manipulation screen for controlling the operation of the externaldevice through the application, and an operation control unit forcontrolling the operation of the external device according to the usermanipulation performed through the manipulation screen.

According to such a configuration, the status of the external device andthe usage status of the application are determined upon startup of theapplication, a screen according to the determination result is displayedin order to arrange an application operation environment, and then amanipulation screen for performing the control of the operation of theexternal device through the application is displayed. Accordingly, auser arranges the application operation environment according to thescreen displayed according to the determination result, and thenperforms user manipulation through the manipulation screen, thus easilyinitiating the control of the operation of the external device throughthe application.

The device control apparatus may further include an acquisition requestgenerating unit for generating an application acquisition requestincluding device information of the external device when the externaldevice is newly connected. The application acquisition unit may providethe application acquisition request to the application server, andautomatically acquire the application for controlling the operation ofthe external device from the application server, the application beingselected based on the device information by the application server.

The determination unit may be capable of executing a connectiondetermination to determine whether the external device corresponding tothe application has been connected, an execution determination todetermine whether a given process of displaying the manipulation screenhas already been executed, and a power-on determination to determinewhether the external device has been powered on. The display controlunit may control the display unit to display a screen urging a user toconnect the external device corresponding to the application when it isdetermined in the connection determination that the external devicecorresponding to the application has not been connected, a screen forexecuting the given process when it is determined in the executiondetermination after the connection determination that the given processhas not been executed, a screen for powering the external device on whenit is determined in the power-on determination after the executiondetermination that the external device has not been powered on, and themanipulation screen when the external device has been powered on.

The display control unit may control the display unit to display a listof external devices corresponding to the application when it isdetermined in the connection determination that the external devicecorresponding to the application has not been connected.

The display control unit may control the display unit to display ascreen for displaying the manipulation screen when it is determined inthe execution determination after the connection determination that theapplication is registered in the apparatus and then the manipulationscreen has not been displayed.

The operation control unit may output a signal for powering the externaldevice on via the signal input/output unit when the screen for poweringthe external device on is displayed and then the given manipulation by auser is performed. The display control unit may control the display unitto display the manipulation screen after the external device is poweredon.

The application acquisition unit may automatically acquire, from theapplication server, an application for excluding a deleted applicationdeleted based on a manipulation by the user after the application isregistered in the apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a device control method comprising acquiring an application forcontrolling an operation of an external device from an applicationserver, determining a status of the external device and a usage statusof the application upon startup of the application, displaying a screenaccording to the result of the determination in order to arrange anoperation environment of the application, and then displaying amanipulation screen for controlling the operation of the external devicethrough the application, and controlling the operation of the externaldevice according to the user manipulation performed through themanipulation screen.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a program for causing a computer to execute the device controlmethod. Here, the program may be provided by using a computer-readablerecording medium and may be provided via communication means.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possibleto provide a device control apparatus, a device control method and aprogram capable of easily initiating control of an operation of anexternal device through an application according to a status of theexternal device and a usage status of the application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an AVsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a CEC table indicating a correspondence relationshipbetween devices and CEC logical addresses;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of atelevision receiver (sink device) constituting an AV system according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a remotecontroller for the television receiver according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an AVamplifier (repeater device) constituting the AV system according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anapplication server in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an HDMItransmitting unit (HDMI source) and an HDMI receiving unit (HDMI sink);

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an HDMItransmitter and an HDMI receiver;

FIG. 9 shows a structure of TMDS transmission data;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a startup menu displayprocess according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows a transition of a display area displayed on the televisionreceiver;

FIG. 12 shows a screen displayed according to the results of theconnection determination and the execution determination;

FIG. 13 shows a screen displayed according to the result of a power-ondetermination;

FIG. 14 shows a manipulation screen displayed in the active mode;

FIG. 15 shows a screen displayed when an error is generated;

FIG. 16 shows a screen displayed when an error is generated;

FIG. 17 shows a screen transition in an initial use after applicationregistration;

FIG. 18 shows a screen transition in uses other than an initial useafter application registration;

FIG. 19 shows an overview of an automatic application acquisitionprocess according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the automatic applicationacquisition process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

The description will be given in the following order.

1. Entire configuration example of system [FIGS. 1 and 2]

2. Configuration example of television receiver [FIGS. 3 and 4]

3. Configuration example of AV amplifier [FIG. 5]

4. Configuration example of application server [FIG. 6]

5. HDMI standard transmission configuration and process example [FIGS. 7to 9]

6. Startup menu display process [FIGS. 10 to 18]

7. Automatic application acquisition process [FIGS. 19 and 20]

1. Entire Configuration Example of System [FIGS. 1 and 2]

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention willbe described.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an AV system 100 of the presentembodiment.

This AV system 100 includes a television receiver 200, an AV amplifier300, a video recorder 400, a video player 500, and a video recorder 600.The video recorder 400, the video player 500 and the video recorder 600constitute HDMI source devices. The AV amplifier 300 constitutes an HDMIrepeater device. The television receiver 200 constitutes an HDMI sinkdevice. The video recorder 400, the video player 500 and the videorecorder 600 are devices that use a video disc such as a DVD or a harddisk as a recording medium and record and reproduce video data (AVcontents).

The television receiver 200 is a CEC compliant device, and includes HDMIterminals 201 and 202, an optical output terminal 203, and a networkterminal 236. The television receiver 200 has a configuration that canbe remotely controlled by a remote controller 800. The televisionreceiver 200 has a function of properly acquiring an application managedby the application server 12 over the network 11, executing a processbased on the application and displaying given information, orcontrolling a device connected to the television receiver 200 at theHDMI terminals 201 and 202.

The application provided from the application server is produced to beexecuted in a state in which a video is displayed on the televisionreceiver 200. A user of the television receiver 200 can use the contentsprovided by the application by causing the application provided from theapplication server 12 to be executed on the television receiver 200while viewing a broadcast received by the television receiver 200 orcontents played by the video player 500. The video recorder 400 includesan HDMI terminal 401, the video player 500 includes an HDMI terminal501, and the video recorder 600 includes an HDMI terminal 601, and allof these devices are CEC compliant.

The AV amplifier 300 is a CEC compliant device, and includes HDMIterminals 301, 302, 303, and 304, and an optical input terminal 305. Aspeaker set 350 including a plurality of speakers is connected to the AVamplifier 300, and an audio signal reproduced in the AV amplifier 300 isoutput from the speaker set 350. This speaker set 350 includes speakerslocated at a front, right front, left front, right rear and left rear ofa listener, and a subwoofer speaker for bass output which realizes, forexample, 5.1 channel surround. The AV amplifier 300 and each speaker maybe separate entities, but, for example, the AV amplifier and therespective speakers (at least front speakers) may be housed in a rack inwhich a television receiver is placed.

The television receiver 200 and the AV amplifier 300 are connected viaan HDMI cable 701 and an optical cable 702. That is, one end of the HDMIcable 701 is connected to the HDMI terminal 201 of the televisionreceiver 200 and the other end thereof is connected to the HDMI terminal304 of the AV amplifier 300. One end of the optical cable 702 isconnected to the optical output terminal 203 of the television receiver200 and the other end thereof is connected to the optical input terminal305 of the AV amplifier 300.

The AV amplifier 300 and the video recorder 400 are connected via theHDMI cable 703. That is, one end of the HDMI cable 703 is connected tothe HDMI terminal 301 of the AV amplifier 300 and the other end thereofis connected to the HDMI terminal 401 of the video recorder 400. The AVamplifier 300 and the video player 500 are also connected via the HDMIcable 704. That is, one end of the HDMI cable 704 is connected to theHDMI terminal 302 of the AV amplifier 300, and the other end thereof isconnected to the HDMI terminal 501 of the video player 500. The AVamplifier 300 and the video recorder 600 are connected via the HDMIcable 705. That is, one end of the HDMI cable 705 is connected to theHDMI terminal 303 of the AV amplifier 300, and the other end thereof isconnected to the HDMI terminal 601 of the video recorder 600.

In the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, a physical address and a CEClogical address of each device are acquired, for example, as follows.

That is, when the AV amplifier 300 is connected to the televisionreceiver 200 (the physical address is [0000] and the CEC logical addressis {0}) via the HDMI cable 701, the AV amplifier 300 acquires thephysical address [1000] from the television receiver 200 using HDMIcontrol protocol.

The CEC compliant device is defined to acquire a logical address uponHDMI connection. The CEC compliant device performs message transmissionand reception using this logical address. FIG. 2 shows a tableindicating a correspondence relationship between devices and CEC logicaladdresses. A device “TV” is a device for displaying a video from atelevision receiver, a projector and the like. A device “recordingdevice” is a recording device such as a hard disk recorder or a DVDrecorder. A device “tuner” is a device for receiving AV contents, suchas a set top box (STB) that receives a cable television broadcast. Adevice “playback device” is a player device such as a video player or acamcorder. A device “audio system” is an audio processing device such asan AV amplifier.

The AV amplifier 300 is a CEC compliant device, as described above. TheAV amplifier 300 decides a logical address {5} as “audio system” basedon the table of FIG. 2. In this case, the AV amplifier 300 recognizesthat a device having this logical address {5} is not included in theother devices with a polling message of the CEC control protocol andthen decides the logical address {5} as its logical address. The AVamplifier 300 notifies the television receiver 200 that physical address[1000] corresponds to the CEC compliant device {5} by means of a reportphysical address of the CEC control protocol.

When the video recorder 400 is connected to the AV amplifier 300 via theHDMI cable 703, the video recorder 400 acquires physical address [1100]from the AV amplifier 300 using HDMI control protocol.

The video recorder 400 is the CEC compliant device, as described above.The video recorder 400 decides logical address {1} as a “recordingdevice” based on the table of FIG. 2. In this case, the video recorder400 recognizes that a device having this logical address {1} is notincluded in the other devices with a polling message of the CEC controlprotocol and then decides the logical address {1} as its logicaladdress. The video recorder 400 notifies the television receiver 200 andthe AV amplifier 300 that the physical address [1100] corresponds to theCEC compliant device {1} by means of the report physical address of theCEC control protocol.

When the video player 500 is connected to the AV amplifier 300 via anHDMI cable 704, the video player 500 acquires a physical address [1200]from the AV amplifier 300 using the HDMI control protocol.

The video player 500 is the CEC compliant device, as described above.The video player 500 decides a logical address {4} as a “playbackdevice” based on the table of FIG. 2. In this case, the video player 500recognizes that a device having this logical address {4} is not includedin the other devices with a polling message of the CEC control protocoland then decides the logical address {4} as its logical address. Thevideo player 500 notifies the television receiver 200 and the AVamplifier 300 that a physical address [1200] corresponds to a CECcompliant device {4} by means of the report physical address of the CECcontrol protocol.

When the video recorder 600 is connected to the AV amplifier 300 via anHDMI cable 705, the video recorder 600 acquires a physical address[1300] from the AV amplifier 300 using the HDMI control protocol.

The video recorder 600 is the CEC compliant device, as described above.The video recorder 600 decides a logical address {2} as a “recordingdevice” based on the table of FIG. 2. In this case, the video recorder600 recognizes that a device having this logical address {2} is notincluded in the other devices with a polling message of the CEC controlprotocol and then decides the logical address {2} as its logicaladdress. The video recorder 600 notifies the television receiver 200 andthe AV amplifier 300 that the physical address [1300] corresponds to theCEC compliant device {2} by means of the report physical address of theCEC control protocol.

When a program tuned by a tuner of the television receiver 200 is viewedin the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the following operation isexecuted. That is, a video by a video signal obtained by the tuner isdisplayed on a display panel (not shown) of the television receiver 200.An audio (sound) by an audio signal obtained by the tuner is output fromspeakers (not shown) of the television receiver 200 when the AVamplifier 300 is in a system audio mode of OFF. When the system audiomode is on, audio by the audio signal obtained by the tuner is outputfrom the speaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300.

The audio signal obtained by the tuner of the television receiver 200becomes, for example, an optical digital audio signal and is supplied tothe AV amplifier 300 via the optical cable 702. Further, the ON/OFF ofthe system audio mode in the AV amplifier 300 may be set by the usermanipulating a user manipulation unit (not shown) of the AV amplifier300 or manipulating a user manipulation unit (not shown) of thetelevision receiver 200. Alternatively, the ON/OFF of the system audiomode in the AV amplifier 300 may be set by instructing speaker switchingby manipulating the remote controller 800 of the television receiver200.

In the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when contents reproduced from thedisk in the video recorder 400, or a program selected by the tuner, forexample, through a switching manipulation from the television receiver200, a manipulation of a Play button of the video recorder 400, and thelike is viewed, the following operation is performed.

That is, the video by the output video signal of the video recorder 400is displayed on a display panel (not shown) of the television receiver200. In this case, the output video signal of the video recorder 400 issupplied to the television receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 703, the AVamplifier 300 and the HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in a system audio mode of OFF, the audio bythe output audio signal of the video recorder 400 is output from aspeaker (not shown) of the television receiver 200. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video recorder 400 is supplied to thetelevision receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 703, the AV amplifier 300 andthe HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of ON, the audioby the output audio signal of the video recorder 400 is output from thespeaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video recorder 400 is supplied to the AVamplifier 300 via the HDMI cable 703.

In the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when contents reproduced from thedisk by the video player 500, for example, through a switchingmanipulation from the television receiver 200, a manipulation of a Playbutton of the video player 500, and the like is viewed, the followingoperation is performed.

That is, a video by the output video signal of the video player 500 isdisplayed on a display panel (not shown) of the television receiver 200.In this case, the output video signal of the video player 500 issupplied to the television receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 704, the AVamplifier 300 and the HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of OFF, the audioby the output audio signal of the video player 500 is output from thespeaker (not shown) of the television receiver 200. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video player 500 is supplied to thetelevision receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 704, the AV amplifier 300 andthe HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of ON, the audioby the output audio signal of the video player 500 is output from thespeaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video player 500 is supplied to the AVamplifier 300 via the HDMI cable 704.

In the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when contents reproduced from thedisk in the video recorder 600, or a program selected by the tuner, forexample, through a switching manipulation from the television receiver200 is viewed, the following operation is performed.

That is, the video by the output video signal of the video recorder 600is displayed on a display panel (not shown) of the television receiver200. In this case, the output video signal of the video recorder 600 issupplied to the television receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 705, the AVamplifier 300 and the HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of OFF, the audioby the output audio signal of the video recorder 600 is output from thespeaker (not shown) of the television receiver 200. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video recorder 600 is supplied to thetelevision receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 705, the AV amplifier 300 andthe HDMI cable 701.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of ON, the audioby the output audio signal of the video recorder 600 is output from thespeaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300. In this case, theoutput audio signal of the video recorder 600 is supplied to the AVamplifier 300 via the HDMI cable 705.

2. Configuration Example of Television Receiver [FIGS. 3 and 4]

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the television receiver 200according to an example of the present embodiment. This televisionreceiver 200 includes HDMI terminals 201 and 202, an HDMI switcher 204,an HDMI receiving unit 205, an antenna terminal 210, and a digital tuner211. The television receiver 200 further includes a demultiplexer(Demux) 212, a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) decoder 213, a videoand graphic processing circuit 214, a panel driving circuit 215, and adisplay panel 216.

The television receiver 200 further includes an audio processing circuit217, an audio amplification circuit 218, and a speaker 219. Thetelevision receiver 200 further includes an internal bus 230, a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 231, a flash ROM 232, a DRAM 233, a receiving unit234, a network I/F 235, and a network terminal 236.

The CPU 231 functions as a determination unit, an operation controlunit, and an acquisition request generator. The CPU 231 executes aprogram for performing a startup menu display process and an automaticapplication acquisition process, which will be described. The networkI/F 235 functions as an application acquisition unit under control ofthe CPU 231. The video and graphic processing circuit 214 functions as adisplay control unit under control of the CPU 231. The display panel 216functions as a display unit under control of the CPU 231.

The CPU 231 controls an operation of each unit of the televisionreceiver 200. The flash ROM 232 stores control software and data, aswell as an application properly downloaded from the application server12. The DRAM 233 constitutes, for example, a work area for the CPU 231.The CPU 231 develops the software and data read from the flash ROM 232onto the DRAM 233, starts up the software, and controls each unit of thetelevision receiver 200. The CPU 231, the flash ROM 232 and the DRAM 233are connected to the internal bus 230.

The receiving unit 234 receives, for example, an infrared remote controlsignal (remote control code) transmitted from the remote controller 800and supplies the signal to the CPU 231. The user can manipulate thetelevision receiver 200 and another CEC compliant device connected tothe television receiver 200 via the HDMI cable by manipulating theremote controller 800.

The network I/F 235 connects to the network 11 via a network cableconnected to a network terminal 236, and executes data transmission andreception to and from various devices (e.g., the application server 12)connected to the network 11. In the present embodiment, the televisionreceiver 200 requests the application server 12 to provide anapplication for controlling the AV amplifier 300 and properly receivesthe application from the application server 12, such that the televisionreceiver 200 can start up and execute the application for controllingthe AV amplifier 300.

The antenna terminal 210 is a terminal that inputs a televisionbroadcast signal received by a receiving antenna (not shown). Thedigital tuner 211 processes the television broadcast signal input to theantenna terminal 210, and outputs a given transport stream correspondingto a user-selected channel. The demultiplexer 212 extracts a partialtransport stream (TS) (a TS packet of video data and a TS packet ofaudio data) corresponding to the user-selected channel from thetransport stream obtained by the digital tuner 212.

The demultiplexer 212 extracts program specific information/serviceinformation (PSI/SI) from the transport stream obtained by the digitaltuner 211 and outputs the PSI/SI to the CPU 231. A plurality of channelsare multiplexed in the transport stream obtained by the digital tuner211. The process in which the demultiplexer 212 extracts the partial TSof any channel from the transport stream can be performed by obtaininginformation of a packet ID (P ID) of any channel from the PSI/SI(PAT/PMT).

The MPEG decoder 213 performs a decoding process on a video packetizedelementary stream (PES) packet consisting of the TS packet of the videodata obtained by the demultiplexer 212 to obtain video data. Also, theMPEG decoder 213 performs a decoding process on an audio PES packetconsisting of the TS packet of the audio data obtained by thedemultiplexer 212 to obtain audio data.

The video and graphic processing circuit 214 performs a scaling process,a graphics data superimposing process, and the like on the video dataacquired by the MPEG decoder 213, as necessary. Also, the video andgraphic processing circuit 214 generates video data through a processbased on an application stored in the flash ROM 232 in advance or theapplication properly provided from the application server 12, andoutputs the video data to the panel driving circuit 215. The paneldriving circuit 215 drives the display panel 216 based on the video dataoutput from the video and graphic processing circuit 214. The displaypanel 216 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), anorganic electro-luminescence (EL), or a plasma display panel (PDP).

The audio processing circuit 217 performs a necessary process, such asD/A conversion, on the audio data obtained by the MPEG decoder 213. Theaudio amplification circuit 218 amplifies an analog audio signal outputfrom the audio processing circuit 217 and supplies the resultant audiosignal to the speaker 219. The audio processing circuit 217 converts theaudio data obtained by the MPEG decoder 213 into a digital opticalsignal and outputs the digital optical signal to the optical outputterminal 203.

The HDMI switcher 204 selectively connects the HDMI terminals 201 and202 to the HDMI receiving unit 205. The HDMI receiving unit 205 isselectively connected to any of the HDMI terminals 201 and 202 via theHDMI switcher 204. This HDMI receiving unit 205 receives video and audiodata transmitted from an external device (a source device or a repeaterdevice) connected to the HDMI terminal 201 or 202 through communicationconforming to HDMI. This HDMI receiving unit 205 will be described indetail later.

An operation of the television receiver 200 shown in FIG. 3 will bebriefly described. The television broadcast signal input to the antennaterminal 210 is supplied to the digital tuner 211. This digital tuner211 processes the television broadcast signal to obtain a transportstream corresponding to the user-selected channel. This transport streamis supplied to the demultiplexer 212. The demultiplexer 212 extracts apartial TS (a TS packet of video data and a TS packet of audio data)corresponding to the user-selected channel from the transport stream.This partial TS is supplied to the MPEG decoder 213.

The MPEG decoder 213 performs a decoding process on a video PES packetconsisting of the TS packet of the video data to obtain video data. Thevideo and graphic processing circuit 214 performs a scaling process, agraphics data superimposing process and the like on the video data, asnecessary, and supplies the resultant video data to the panel drivingcircuit 215. Accordingly, a video corresponding to the user-selectedchannel is displayed on the display panel 216.

The MPEG decoder 213 performs a decoding process on an audio PES packetconsisting of the TS packet of the audio data to obtain audio data. Theaudio processing circuit 217 performs a necessary process such as D/Aconversion on the audio data, and the audio amplification circuit 218amplifies the audio signal and supplies the audio signal to the speaker219. Accordingly, an audio corresponding to the user-selected channel isoutput from the speaker 219.

The audio data obtained by the MPEG decoder 213 is converted into, forexample, a digital optical signal conforming to the S/PDIF standard bythe audio processing circuit 217, and output to the optical outputterminal 203. Accordingly, the television receiver 200 can transmit theaudio data to the external device via the optical cable. In the AVsystem 100 shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the audio data from thetelevision receiver 200 is supplied to the AV amplifier 300 via theoptical cable 702.

When the AV amplifier 300 is in a system audio mode of ON, an audio bythe audio data from the television receiver 200 is output from thespeaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300. In this case, theaudio amplification circuit 218 enters a muted state under control ofthe CPU 231, and the audio is not output from the speaker 219 of thetelevision receiver 200.

In the HDMI receiving unit 205, video and audio data input to the HDMIterminal 201 or 202 via the HDMI cable is obtained. The video data issupplied to the video and graphic processing circuit 214. The audio datais supplied to the audio processing circuit 217. A subsequent operationis the same as that upon reception of the above-described televisionbroadcast signal, the video is displayed on the display panel 216, andthe audio is output from the speaker 219.

In the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, for example, when video and audioby video data and audio data from the video recorder 400, the videoplayer 500 or the video recorder 600 is presented, the state becomes astate in which video and audio by the video data and the audio dataacquired by the HDMI receiving unit 205, as described above, ispresented.

Even in this case, when the AV amplifier 300 is in a system audio modeof On, the audio by the audio data is output from the speaker set 350connected to the AV amplifier 300, and the audio amplification circuit218 of the television receiver 200 enters a muted state, such that theaudio is not output from the speaker 219.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a shape of the remote controller 800,viewed from a front view. As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller 800includes a remote control signal transmitting unit 801 for transmitting,for example, an infrared signal, in which various manipulation keys 802are disposed. The manipulation keys 802 include numerical keys forchannel indication, a volume up/down key, each mode setting key, and thelike. Further, the remote controller 800 includes an OK button 811 forselecting any item from various menu screens displayed on the displaypanel 216, an up button 812 a for moving a cursor displayed on thedisplay panel 216 upward, a down button 812 b for moving the cursordisplayed on the display panel 216 downward, a left button 812 c formoving the cursor displayed on the display panel 216 to the left, aright button 812 d for moving the cursor displayed on the display panel216 to the right, a home button 813 for summoning a screen for executingthe application on the television receiver 200 to be displayed on thedisplay panel 216, and a back button 814 for returning to a previousscreen. The remote controller 800 may be configured to transmit a signalother than the infrared signal or to bidirectionally exchange the signalwith the television receiver 200. Further, the shape of the remotecontroller 800 or a button arrangement is not limited to such an examplein the present invention.

3. Configuration Example of AV Amplifier [FIG. 5]

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the AV amplifier 300. The AVamplifier 300 includes HDMI terminals 301 to 304, an optical inputterminal 305, an HDMI switcher 306, an HDMI receiving unit 307, an HDMItransmitting unit 308, and a conversion unit 310. The AV amplifier 300further includes an analog audio input terminal 311, an antenna terminal312, an FM tuner 313, a selector 314, an A/D converter 315, a selector316, and a digital signal processor (DSP) 317. Further, the AV amplifier300 includes an audio amplification circuit 318, audio output terminals319 a to 319 f, an internal bus 320, a CPU 321, a flash ROM 322, and aRAM 323.

The CPU 321 controls operation of each unit of the AV amplifier 300. Theflash ROM 322 stores control software and data. The RAM 323 constitutes,for example, a work area of the CPU 321. The CPU 321 develops thesoftware or data read from the flash ROM 322 onto the RAM 323 to startup the software and control each unit of the AV amplifier 300. The CPU321, the flash ROM 322 and the RAM 323 are connected to the internal bus320. The CPU 321, the flash ROM 322 and the RAM 323 may be amicrocomputer of one chip (one chip microcomputer).

A user manipulation unit 324 and a display unit 325 are connected to theCPU 321. The user manipulation unit 324 and the display unit 325constitute a user interface. Using the user manipulation unit 324, theuser can perform selection of an output audio of the AV amplifier 300,tuning by the FM tuner 313, an operation setting, and the like. The usercan set the system audio mode to ON/OFF using the user manipulation unit324.

This user manipulation unit 324 includes keys, buttons, a dial, a remotecontrol signal transmitting and receiving unit, and the like disposed ona chassis, which is not shown, of the AV amplifier 300. The display unit325 displays an operation status of the AV amplifier 300, a usermanipulation state, and the like, and includes a fluorescent displaytube, an LCD, or the like.

The optical input terminal 305 is a terminal that inputs a digitaloptical signal via the optical cable. The conversion unit 310 generatesa clock LRCK having the same frequency (e.g., 44.1 kHz) as a samplingfrequency of an audio signal, a master clock MCK that is, for example,512 or 256 times the sampling frequency, left and right 24-bit audiodata LDATA and RDATA occurring every period of the clock LRCK, and a bitclock BCK synchronized with each bit of the data from the digitaloptical signal input to the optical input terminal 305, and suppliesthem to the selector 316.

The analog audio input terminal 311 is a terminal that inputs left andright analog audio signals obtained in the external device. The antennaterminal 312 is a terminal that inputs an FM broadcast signal FMreceived by a receiving antenna (not shown). The FM tuner 313 processesthe FM broadcast signal (radio broadcast signal) input to the antennaterminal 312 to output left and right analog audio signals correspondingto the user-selected channel. The selector 314 selects the analog audiosignal input to the analog audio input terminal 311 or the analog audiosignal output from the tuner 313. The A/D converter 315 converts theanalog audio signal selected by the selector 314 into digital audio dataand supplies the digital audio data to the selector 316.

The HDMI switcher 306 selectively connects the HDMI terminals 301 to 303to the HDMI receiving unit 307. The HDMI receiving unit 307 isselectively connected to any of the HDMI terminals 301 to 303 via theHDMI switcher 306. This HDMI receiving unit 307 receives video and audiodata transmitted in one direction from external devices (source devices)connected to the HDMI terminals 301 to 303 through communicationconforming to HDMI.

The HDMI receiving unit 307 supplies the audio data to the selector 316,and supplies the video and audio data to the HDMI transmitting unit 308.The HDMI transmitting unit 308 transmits, from the HDMI terminal 304,the baseband video and audio data supplied from the HDMI receiving unit307 through the communication conforming to HDMI. Thus, the AV amplifier300 has a repeater function. The HDMI receiving unit 307 and the HDMItransmitting unit 308 will be described in detail later.

The selector 316 selects the audio data supplied from the HDMI receivingunit 307, the audio data supplied from the conversion unit 310 or theaudio data supplied from the A/D converter 315, and supplies the audiodata to the DSP 317.

The DSP 317 performs a process of processing the audio data obtained bythe selector 316 to generate audio data of each channel for realizingsurround audio, a process of giving a given sound field property and anacoustic property, a process of converting a digital signal into ananalog signal, and the like. For example, the DSP 317 can perform soundfield processing of 5.1 channel surround audio, and enables another modesuch as 2-channel audio. The audio amplification circuit 318 amplifies afront left audio signal SFL, a front right audio signal SFR, a frontcenter audio signal SFC, a rear left audio signal SRL, a rear rightaudio signal SRR and a subwoofer audio signal SSW output from the DSP317, and outputs the signals to the audio output terminals 319 a to 319f.

Although not shown, speaker constituting the speaker set 350 areconnected to the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f. That is, a frontleft speaker, a front right speaker, a front center speaker, a rear leftspeaker, a rear right speaker and a subwoofer speaker are connected.Here, through, for example, a virtual sound localization process in theDSP 317, surround audio may be reproduced by a smaller number ofspeakers.

An operation of the AV amplifier 300 shown in FIG. 5 will be brieflydescribed. In the HDMI receiving unit 307, the baseband video and audiodata input to the HDMI terminals 301 to 303 via the HDMI cable isobtained. This video and audio data is supplied to the HDMI transmittingunit 308 and transmitted to the HDMI cable connected to the HDMIterminal 304.

Further, the audio data obtained in the HDMI receiving unit 307 issupplied to the selector 316. In the selector 316, the audio datasupplied from the HDMI receiving unit 307, the audio data supplied fromthe conversion unit 310, or the audio data supplied from the A/Dconverter 315 is selected and supplied to the DSP 317.

In the DSP 317, necessary processes such as a process of generatingaudio data of each channel for realizing the 5.1 channel surround, aprocess of giving a given sound field property, a process of convertingthe digital signal into an analog signal, and the like are performed onthe audio data. Audio signals of respective channels output from the DSP317 are output to the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f via theaudio amplification circuit 318.

For example, in the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when the programtuned by the digital tuner 211 of the television receiver 200 is viewedand the AV amplifier 300 is in a system audio mode of ON, the followingoperation is performed. That is, the selector 316 selects the audio datafrom the conversion unit 310. Accordingly, the audio signals of therespective channels according to the audio data of the program tuned bythe digital tuner 211 of the television receiver 200 are output from theaudio output terminals 319 a to 319 f. Thus, the audio of the programtuned by the digital tuner 211 of the television receiver 200 is outputfrom the speaker set 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300.

When the program tuned by the digital tuner 211 of the televisionreceiver 200 is viewed and the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audiomode of OFF, the audio amplification circuit 318 enters a muted state.Accordingly, the audio signal is not supplied from the audioamplification circuit 318 to the output terminals 319 a to 319 f.

For example, in the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when a video andaudio by the video data and the audio data from the video recorder 400are presented and the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode ofON, the following operation is performed. That is, the HDMI terminal 301is connected to the HDMI receiving unit 307 by the HDMI switcher 306.Further, in the selector 316, the audio data from the HDMI receivingunit 307 is selected. Accordingly, the audio signals of the respectivechannels according to the audio data from the video recorder 400 areoutput from the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f. Thus, the audioby the audio data from the video recorder 400 is output from the speakerset 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300.

When the video and audio by video data and the audio data from the videorecorder 400 are presented and the AV amplifier 300 is in the systemaudio mode of OFF, the audio amplification circuit 318 enters a mutedstate, and the audio signal is not supplied from the audio amplificationcircuit 318 to the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f.

For example, in the AV system 100 shown in FIG. 1, when the video andaudio by the video data and the audio data from the video player 500 arepresented and the AV amplifier 300 is in the system audio mode of ON,the following operation is performed. That is, the HDMI terminal 302 isconnected to the HDMI receiving unit 307 by the HDMI switcher 306.Further, in the selector 316, the audio data from the HDMI receivingunit 307 is selected. Accordingly, the audio signals of the respectivechannels according to the audio data from the video player 500 areoutput from the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f. Thus, the audioby the audio data from the video player 500 is output from the speakerset 350 connected to the AV amplifier 300.

When the video and audio by the video data and the audio data from thevideo player 500 are presented and the AV amplifier 300 is in the systemaudio mode of OFF, the audio amplification circuit 318 enters a mutedstate, and the audio signal is not supplied from the audio amplificationcircuit 318 to the audio output terminals 319 a to 319 f.

4. Configuration Example of Application Server [FIG. 6]

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the application server 12. Theapplication server 12 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a bus 34,an input/output interface 35, an input unit 36, an output unit 37, astorage unit 38, a communication unit 39, and a drive 40.

The CPU 31, the ROM 32, and the RAM 33 are connected to one another viathe bus 34. The input/output interface 35 is also connected to the bus34. The input unit 36 such as a keyboard, a mouse or a microphone, theoutput unit 37 such as a display or a speaker, the storage unit 38 suchas a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory, the communication unit 39 suchas a network interface or a removable medium 41 such as a magnetic disk,an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk, and the drive for driving asemiconductor memory are connected to the input/output interface 35.

In the application server 12 configured as described above, the CPU 31loads, for example, a program stored in the storage unit 38 onto the RAM33 via the input/output interface and the bus 34 and executes theprogram, such that the application server 12 can properly provide theapplication according to the request from the television receiver 200.

5. HDMI Standard Transmission Configuration and Process Example [FIGS. 7to 9]

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the HDMI transmitting unit (HDMItransmitting unit 308) and the HDMI receiving unit (HDMI receiving unit205 and HDMI receiving unit 307).

The HDMI transmitting unit (HDMI source) performs transmission in oneunit in a valid video period (hereinafter, referred to properly as anactive video period) that is a period obtained by excluding a horizontalblacking period and a vertical blacking period from a period from onevertical synchronization signal to a next vertical synchronizationsignal. That is, in the active video period, the HDMI transmitting unittransmits, in one direction, a differential signal corresponding tonon-compressed video pixel data corresponding to one screen to the HDMIreceiving unit (HDMI sink) via a plurality of channels. In thehorizontal blacking period or the vertical blacking period, the HDMItransmitting unit transmits, in one direction, a differential signalcorresponding to at least the audio data associated with the video,control data, other auxiliary data, and the like to the HDMI receivingunit via a plurality of channels.

The HDMI transmitting unit includes a transmitter 81. The transmitter 81converts, for example, non-compressed video pixel data into acorresponding differential signal, and serially transmits, in onedirection, the differential signal to the HDMI receiving unit connectedvia the HDMI cable via a plurality of channels, i.e., three TMDSchannels #0, #1 and #2.

The transmitter 81 converts audio data associated with non-compressedvideo, necessary control data, other auxiliary data and the like into acorresponding differential signal. The transmitter 81 seriallytransmits, in one direction, the differential signal to the HDMIreceiving unit connected via the HDMI cable, via three TMDS channels #0,#1 and #2.

The transmitter 81 transmits the pixel clock synchronized to the pixeldata transmitted via three TMDS channels #0, #1 and #2 to the HDMIreceiving unit connected via the HDMI cable via the TMDS clock channel.Here, via one TMDS channel #i=0, 1, 2), 10-bit pixel data is transmittedduring one clock of the pixel clock.

The HDMI receiving unit, in an active video period, receives adifferential signal corresponding to the pixel data that is transmittedin one direction from the HDMI transmitting unit via a plurality ofchannels. Further, the HDMI receiving unit, in the horizontal blackingperiod or the vertical blacking period, receives a differential signalcorresponding to audio data or control data that is transmitted in onedirection from the HDMI transmitting unit via a plurality of channels.

That is, the HDMI receiving unit includes a receiver 82. The receiver 82receives a differential signal corresponding to the pixel data and adifferential signal corresponding to the audio data or the control datatransmitted in one direction from the HDMI transmitting unit via theTMDS channels #0, #1 and #2. In this case, the receiver 82 receives insynchronization with the pixel clock transmitted from the HDMItransmitting unit via the TMDS clock channel.

The transmission channels of the HDMI system include three TMDS channels#0 to #2 as transmission channels for serially transmitting pixel dataand audio data, and a TMDS clock channel as a transmission channel thattransmits a pixel clock. Further, there is a transmission channel calleda display data channel (DDC) 83 or a CEC line 84.

The DDC 83 is used for the HDMI transmitting unit to read enhancedextended display identification data (E-ED ID) from the HDMI receivingunit connected via the HDMI cable. The DDC 83 includes two signal lines,not shown, included in the HDMI cable.

That is, the HDMI receiving unit includes an ED ID ROM 85, in additionto the HDMI receiver 82. The ED ID ROM 85 stores an E-ED ID that isperformance information about its performance(configuration/capability). The HDMI transmitting unit reads, from theHDMI receiving unit connected via the HDMI cable, the E-ED ID of theHDMI receiving unit via the DDC 83. Based on the read E-ED ID, the HDMItransmitting unit, for example, recognizes a format (profile) of a videoto which an electronic device having the HDMI receiving unitcorresponds, such as RGB, YCbCr4:4:4, YCbCr4:2:2, and the like.

The CEC line 84 includes one signal line, which is not shown, includedin the HDMI cable, and is used to perform bidirectional communication ofcontrol data between the HDMI transmitting unit and the HDMI receivingunit. The bidirectional communication is performed in time division.

A line 86 connected to a pin called a hot plug detect (HPD) is includedin the HDMI cable. A source device can detect a connection of a sinkdevice using the line 86. Further, the HDMI cable includes a line 87used to supply power from the source device to the sink device. The HDMIcable also includes a reserved line 88.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the HDMI transmitter 81 and theHDMI receiver 82 of FIG. 7.

The HDMI transmitter 81 includes three encoder/serializers 81A, 81B and81C corresponding to three TMDS channels #0, #1 and #2. Each of theencoder/serializers 81A, 81B and 81C encodes supplied video data,auxiliary data, and control data, converts parallel data into serialdata, and transmits the serial data by means of a differential signal.

Here, when the video data has, for example, 3 components: R (red), G(greed) and B (blue), the following operation is performed. That is, theB component is supplied to the encoder/serializer 81A, the G componentis supplied to the encoder/serializer 81B, and the R component issupplied to the encoder/serializer 81C.

The auxiliary data includes, for example, audio data and a controlpacket. For example, the control packet is supplied to theencoder/serializer 81A and the audio data is supplied to theencoder/serializers 81B and 81C.

Further, the control data includes a 1-bit vertical synchronizationsignal (VSYNC), a 1-bit horizontal synchronization signal (HSYNC), andcontrol bits CTL0, CTL1, CTL2, and CTL3, each being 1 bit. The verticalsynchronization signal and the horizontal synchronization signal aresupplied to the encoder/serializer 81A. The control bits CTL0 and CTL1are supplied to encoder/serializer 81B, and the control bits CTL2 andCTL3 are supplied to encoder/serializer 81C.

The encoder/serializer 81A transmits, in time division, the B componentof the video data, the vertical synchronization signal and thehorizontal synchronization signal, and the auxiliary data, which aresupplied. That is, the encoder/serializer 81A converts the supplied Bcomponent of the video data into parallel data in an 8-bit unit that isa fixed bit number. Further, the encoder/serializer 81A encodes theparallel data, converts it into serial data, and transmits the serialdata via the TMDS channel #0.

Further, the encoder/serializer 81A encodes 2-bit parallel data of thesupplied vertical synchronization signal and horizontal synchronizationsignal, converts the parallel data into serial data, and transmits theserial data via the TMDS channel #0. The encoder/serializer 81A alsoconverts the supplied auxiliary data into parallel data in a 4-bit unit.The encoder/serializer 81A encodes the parallel data, converts theparallel data into serial data, and transmits the serial data via theTMDS channel #0.

The encoder/serializer 81B transmits, in time division, the G componentof the video data, the control bits CTL0 and CTL1, and the auxiliarydata that are supplied. That is, the encoder/serializer 81B converts thesupplied G component of the video data into parallel data in an 8-bitunit that is a fixed bit number. Further, the encoder/serializer 81Bencodes the parallel data, converts the parallel data into serial data,and transmits the serial data via the TMDS channel #1.

The encoder/serializer 81B encodes 2-bit parallel data of the suppliedcontrol bits CTL0 and CTL1, converts the parallel data into serial data,and transmits serial data via the TMDS channel #1. Further, theencoder/serializer 81B converts the supplied auxiliary data intoparallel data in a O-bit unit. The encoder/serializer 81B encodes theparallel data, converts the parallel data into serial data, andtransmits the serial data via the TMDS channel #1.

The encoder/serializer 81C transmits, in time division, the R componentof the video data, the control bits CTL2 and CTL3, and the auxiliarydata that are supplied. That is, the encoder/serializer 81C converts thesupplied R component of the video data into parallel data in an 8-bitunit that is a fixed bit number. Further, the encoder/serializer 81Cencodes the parallel data, converts the parallel data into serial data,and transmits the serial data via the TMDS channel #2.

The encoder/serializer 81C encodes 2-bit parallel data of the suppliedcontrol bits CTL2 and CTL3, converts parallel data into serial data, andtransmits the serial data via the TMDS channel #2. Further, theencoder/serializer 81C converts the supplied auxiliary data intoparallel data in a 4-bit unit. The encoder/serializer 81C encodes theparallel data and converts the parallel data into serial data, andtransmits the serial data via the TMDS channel #2.

The receiver 82 includes three recovery/decoders 82A, 82B and 82Ccorresponding to the three TMDS channels #0, #1 and #2. The respectiverecovery/decoders 82A, 82B and 82C receive the video data, the auxiliarydata, and the control data transmitted by the differential signal viathe TMDS channels #0, #1 and #2. Further, each of the recovery/decoders82A, 82B and 82C converts the video data, the auxiliary data and thecontrol data from serial data to parallel data, decodes the paralleldata, and outputs the resultant data.

That is, the recovery/decoder 82A receives the B component of the videodata, the vertical synchronization signal and the horizontalsynchronization signal, and the auxiliary data transmitted by thedifferential signal via the TMDS channel #0. The recovery/decoder 82Aconverts the B component of the video data, the vertical synchronizationsignal and the horizontal synchronization signal, and the auxiliary datafrom the serial data to the parallel data, decodes the parallel data andoutputs the resultant data.

The recovery/decoder 82B receives the G component of the video data, thecontrol bits CTL0 and CTL1, and the auxiliary data transmitted by thedifferential signal via the TMDS channel #1. The recovery/decoder 82Bconverts the G component of the video data, the control bits CTL0 andCTL1, and the auxiliary data from the serial data to parallel data,decodes the parallel data and outputs the resultant data.

The recovery/decoder 82C receives the R component of the video data, thecontrol bits CTL2 and CTL3, and the auxiliary data transmitted by thedifferential signal via the TMDS channel #2. The recovery/decoder 82Cconverts the R component of the video data, the control bits CTL2 andCTL3, and the auxiliary data from the serial data to the parallel data,decodes the parallel data and outputs the resultant data.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a transmission period (section) in whichvarious transmission data is transmitted via three TMDS channels #0, #1and #2 of HDMI. FIG. 9 shows a period of various transmission data whena progressive video of 720×480 pixels is transmitted in the TMDSchannels #0, #1 and #2.

A video field in which the transmission data is transmitted via thethree TMDS channels #0, #1 and #2 of HDMI includes the following periodsaccording to the type of the transmission data. That is, the video fieldincludes three periods: a video data period, a data island period, and acontrol period.

The video field period is a period from an active edge of any verticalsynchronization signal to an active edge of a next verticalsynchronization signal. This period is divided into a horizontalblanking period, a vertical blanking period, and an active video period.The active video period is a period obtained by excluding the horizontalblanking period and the vertical blanking period from the video fieldperiod.

The video data period is assigned to the active video period. In thisvideo data period, active pixel data of 720 pixels×480 linesconstituting non-compressed video data corresponding to one screen istransmitted.

The data island period and the control period are assigned to thehorizontal blanking period and the vertical blanking period. In the dataisland period and the control period, the auxiliary data is transmitted.

That is, the data island period is assigned to a portion of thehorizontal blanking period and the vertical blanking period. In thisdata island period, for example, an audio data packet that is data notrelated to the control among the auxiliary data is transmitted.

The control period is assigned to portions other than the horizontalblanking period and the vertical blanking period. In this controlperiod, for example, the vertical synchronization signal and thehorizontal synchronization signal, the control packet and the like thatare control-related data among the auxiliary data are transmitted.

Here, in the current HDMI, a frequency of the pixel clock transmittedvia the TMDS clock channel is, for example, 165 MHz, and in this case, atransmission rate of the data island period is about 500 Mbps.

6. Startup Menu Display Process [FIGS. 10 to 18]

In FIG. 10, a procedure of the startup menu display process according toan embodiment of the present invention is shown. In FIG. 11, atransition of a display area displayed on the television receiver 200 isshown.

As shown in FIG. 11, the television receiver 200 can operate in a videodisplay mode or an application display mode. In the video display mode,a video display area A1 in which broadcast video, reproduced video, orthe like is displayed is set on the display panel 216 (state ST1). Inthe application display mode, the video display area A1 and anapplication display area A2 in which information provided by theapplication is displayed are set (states ST2 and ST3). Here, at leastone application including a device control application described belowis executed on the television receiver 200.

In the application display mode, a normal mode or an active mode isswitched according to a given manipulation by the user. In the normalmode, information provided by a plurality of applications is displayedin the application display area A2 (state ST2), and in the active mode,only information provided by a single application is displayed (stateST3).

As shown in FIG. 10, in the television receiver 200, a device controlapplication (hereinafter, also referred to simply as an application)acquired from the application server 12 starts up according to a givenmanipulation by the user (step S101).

When the application starts up, a determination is made as to whether anexternal device such as the AV amplifier 300 corresponding to theapplication has been connected (S103). When the external device isconnected, a process in step S107 is performed, and when the externaldevice is not connected, a screen urging a connection of the externaldevice is displayed (S105).

Here, the connection determination is made based on the addressnotification or the polling response input from the external device viathe HDMI cable 701. Specifically, when the external device is connected,the HPD terminal transitions from a low level to a high level, an HDMIreceiving unit of the external device (e.g., the HDMI receiving unit 307of the AV amplifier 300) acquires a physical address, and acquires alogical address through a polling operation. The external devicebroadcasts a physical address report using a given logical address, andnotifies another external device of its existence. Further, informationfor confirming a correspondence relationship between external devicesand applications is transmitted and received between the televisionreceiver 200 and the external device.

When an external device corresponding to the application is connected oran external device is newly connected, a determination is made as towhether a given process has already been executed (S107). When the givenprocess has already been executed, a process in step S111 is performed,and when the given process has not yet been executed, a screen urging auser manipulation for executing the given process is displayed (S109).

Here, the given process refers to, for example, a process of displayinga manipulation screen for controlling an operation of the externaldevice through the application. The manipulation screen is displayed inthe active mode transitioning from the above-described normal mode.Accordingly, an appropriate manipulation can be urged to the useraccording to whether the external device is manipulated through themanipulation screen.

Here, the execution determination is made, for example, using anexecution flag set on, for example, the flash ROM 232. That is, afterthe application is subjected to the given process, the execution flag isupdated, and the execution flag is confirmed in a next use to determinewhether the given process has already been executed.

When the given process has already been executed or is newly executed, adetermination is made as to whether the external device has been poweredon (S111). When the external device has been powered on, a process instep S115 is performed, and when the external device is not powered on,a screen for powering the external device on is displayed (S113).

Here, the determination of the power-on is made, for example, based onthe polling response input from the external device via the HDMI cable701. Further, the power-on is performed by transmitting a power-oncontrol signal to the external device via the HDMI cable 701 only whenthe external device is not powered on.

When the external device has been powered on or is newly powered on, amanipulation screen for controlling an operation of the external deviceis displayed (S115). In the television receiver 200, the operation ofthe external device is controlled with the user manipulation performedthrough the manipulation screen (S117).

Here, in the television receiver 200, a status voluntary generationsetting request is transmitted to the external device before themanipulation screen is displayed. The external device is set to transmita signal indicating the status of the external device to the televisionreceiver 200 according to a change of the status of the external devicewhen the external device receives the setting request. The status of theexternal device is displayed on the manipulation screen. Further, theoperation control is performed by transmitting a control signal forcontrolling an operation of the external device to the external devicevia the HDMI cable 701 according to the user manipulation.

In FIGS. 12 to 16, an example of a screen displayed in the startup menudisplay process is shown. In the television receiver 200, for example,data for displaying the screen as shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 is stored in,for example, the flash ROM 232 and displayed on the display panel 216.Hereinafter, a case in which an operation of the AV amplifier 300 as anexample of an external device is controlled will be described.

In FIG. 12, the screen displayed according to the results of theconnection determination and the execution determination is shown. Asshown in FIG. 12, a series of screens that are partially differentaccording to the determination results are displayed in the applicationdisplay area A22 shown in FIG. 11. The series of screens areautomatically switched and repeatedly displayed at given time intervalsif an event such as user manipulation does not occur. As the series ofscreens, screens M11 and M12 explaining the overview of the applicationare first displayed.

Subsequent to the screen M12, a screen M13a explaining an applicationoperation environment and urging the connection of the AV amplifier 300is displayed when the AV amplifier 300 is not connected. Subsequent tothe display of the screen M13a, a list M43 of external devices describedbelow is displayed according to a given manipulation by the user.

Meanwhile, when the AV amplifier 300 has been connected, but atransition to the active mode and the display of the manipulation screen(manipulation screens M31 to M33 described below) are not yet executed,a screen M13b urging a use initiation of an application (“audio devicecontrol application”) is displayed. Subsequent to the display of thescreen M13b, the transition to the active mode is performed according toa given manipulation by the user.

In FIG. 13, an example of a screen displayed according to the power-ondetermination result is shown. As shown in FIG. 13, a screen that isdifferent according to the determination result is displayed in theapplication display area A22 shown in FIG. 11.

That is, when the AV amplifier is not powered on, a screen M21a forpowering the AV amplifier 300 on is displayed. Subsequent to the displayof the screen M21a, the AV amplifier 300 is powered on and thetransition to the active mode is performed according to a givenmanipulation by the user.

On the other hand, when the AV amplifier has been powered on, a screenM21b with information indicating the status of the AV amplifier 300 isdisplayed. In the example shown in FIG. 13, an indication that the soundsource and the sound field of the system 100 are set to “televisionreceiver 200” and “standard,” respectively, is displayed on the screenM21b. Subsequent to the display of the screen M21b, the transition tothe active mode is performed according to a given manipulation by theuser.

In FIG. 13, as a variant example of the screen M21b, a screen M21b″ isshown. In the example shown in the screen M21b″, an indication that thesound source and the sound field of the system 100 are set to “BD(Blu-ray disc player)” and “sports,” respectively, and the AV amplifier300 is powered on is shown.

In FIG. 14, the manipulation screen displayed with the transition to theactive mode is shown. As shown in FIG. 14, any of manipulation screensM31, M32 and M33 for performing input switching, sound field switching,and sound quality setting is displayed in the application display areaA2 shown in FIG. 11. Further, the user can select any of themanipulation screens M31, M32 and M33 by selecting a tab T on thescreen. Further, the user can move a cursor C by manipulating the up,down, left and right buttons.

On the manipulation screen M31, the user can switch a source device thatis the sound source of the system 100. On the manipulation screen M31, alist of selectable source devices is displayed, and an image of theselected source device is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 14,the source device is set to “television receiver,” as shown in themanipulation screen M31. Further, a manipulation menu OM for poweringthe AV amplifier 300 off or returning to a previous screen is displayedon the manipulation screen M31.

On the manipulation screen M32, the user can switch the sound field ofthe system 100. On the manipulation screen M32, a list of selectablesound fields is displayed and an image of the selected sound field isdisplayed. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a state in which the soundfield is switched from “standard” to “music” is shown on themanipulation screen M32.

On the manipulation screen M33, the user can switch the sound quality ofthe system 100. On the manipulation screen M33, a list of setting itemsthat can be set is displayed and an explanation of a selected settingitem is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a center level, asubwoofer level, and a treble level are displayed on the manipulationscreen M33, and a state in which the setting of the center level isperformed is shown.

In FIGS. 15 and 16, screens displayed when an error is generated areshown. Here, “when an error is generated” refers to a case in whichinformation for displaying, for example, the screen displayed accordingto the power-on determination result shown in FIG. 13 may not beacquired. If the connection of the AV amplifier 300 is not recognizedafter being recognized, a screen M41 indicating that the connection ofthe AV amplifier 300 may not be recognized is displayed in theapplication display area A22 shown in FIG. 11. When the setting of thedevice control through the HDMI cable 701 is invalid, a screen M42indicating that the device control setting is invalid is displayed. Anexternal device list M43 described below is displayed according to agiven manipulation by the user subsequent to the display of the screenM41 or the screen M42.

When a given manipulation by the user is performed in a state in whichthe AV amplifier 300 is not connected in the normal mode, a screen M43showing a list of external devices corresponding to the application andexplaining a coping method is displayed in the application display areaA2. Further, when the connection of the AV amplifier 300 is notrecognized in the active mode, a screen M44 notifying of a transitionfrom the active mode to the normal mode is displayed, and the transitionto the normal mode is executed after a given time elapses.

Here, the recognition of the connection of the AV amplifier 300 isperformed by periodically transmitting a polling message from thetelevision receiver 200 to an external device, including the AVamplifier 300, and confirming an ACK response received from the externaldevice. Further, the recognition of device control setting is performedusing setting information set, for example in a given register.

In FIG. 17, a screen transition in an initial use, i.e., when the activemode is not executed after the application registration, is shown.Hereinafter, it is assumed that the connection of the AV amplifier 300has been secured. It is also assumed that a back button, a power button,and a blue button are provided on the remote control shown in FIG. 4 aswell as the OK button.

As shown in FIG. 17, switching of a series of screens M11, M12 and M13burging application use initiation irrespective of a power status of theAV amplifier 300 is displayed. The screen transitions to themanipulation screen in the active mode according to the manipulation ofthe OK button, and the display in the application display area A2 stopsaccording to the manipulation of the back button and the screentransitions to a video display screen that displays video information onthe entire display panel 216 as shown in the state ST1 of FIG. 11.

In FIG. 18, a screen transition in uses other than the initial use,i.e., when the active mode has been executed after the applicationregistration, is shown. As shown in FIG. 18, in a state in which the AVamplifier 300 has been powered on, a screen M21a for powering the AVamplifier 300 on is displayed, and in a state in which the AV amplifier200 has not been powered on, a screen M21b with information indicatingthe status of the AV amplifier 300 is displayed.

In a state in which the AV amplifier 300 has not been powered on, the AVamplifier 300 is powered on according to the manipulation of the OKbutton, the screen transitions to the manipulation screen in the activemode, and the screen transitions to the video display screen in thenormal mode according to the manipulation of the back button. On theother hand, in a state in which the AV amplifier 300 has been poweredon, the screen transitions to the manipulation screen in the active modeaccording to the manipulation of the OK button, and the screentransitions to the video display screen in the normal mode according tothe manipulation of the Back button. Further, in a state in which themanipulation screen is displayed, the screen transitions to the screenM21a according to the manipulation of the power button or the bluebutton, and the screen transitions to the screen M21b according to themanipulation of the back button.

As described above, according to the startup menu display process in thepresent embodiment, the status of an external device such as the AVamplifier 300 and the application usage status are determined upon thestartup of the application, a screen according to the determinationresult is displayed in order to arrange an application operationenvironment, and then the manipulation screen for controlling theoperation of the external device through the application is displayed.Accordingly, the user arranges the application operation environmentaccording to the screen displayed according to the determination resultand then performs user manipulation through the manipulation screen,thus easily initiating the control of the operation of the externaldevice through the application.

Further, information displayed in an initial use of the application andin uses other than the initial use is changed. Accordingly, in theinitial use, information explaining the application operationenvironment or information urging the user to use the application can bedisplayed, and in uses other than the initial use, the display of theinformation can be omitted and the manipulation screen can be displayed.For example, in the exhibition of dealers, normally, the application isinitially used, and accordingly, a solicitation effect for, for example,sales promotion can be expected by displaying the information urging theuser to use the application.

7. Automatic Application Acquisition Process [FIGS. 19 and 20]

In FIG. 19, an overview of an automatic application acquisition processaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shownin FIG. 19, when an external device such as the AV amplifier 300 isconnected to the television receiver 200 via the HDMI cable 701, adevice control application (hereinafter, also referred to simply as anapplication) for controlling the external device is automaticallyacquired and registered from the application server 12 over the network11. The automatically acquired application is focus displayed. In theexample shown in FIG. 19, an application 2 displayed in the applicationdisplay area A22 is automatically acquired and focus displayed.

In FIG. 20, a procedure of the automatic application acquisition processis shown. As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention,first, the television receiver 200 determines whether a connection of anexternal device such as the AV amplifier 300 is newly recognized (stepS201). When the connection of the external device is newly recognized, adevice information request for the recognized external device isgenerated (S203). Here, the device information request refers torequesting the external device to transmit device information indicatinga category, a model, an ID and the like of the external device. Thedevice information request is transmitted to the external device (S205),and the device information is received from the external device inresponse to the device information request (S207).

When the device information is received, the television receiver 200determines whether an application corresponding to the deviceinformation exists on the matching table (S209). When the applicationexists, a determination is made as to whether the applicationcorresponding to the device information is not registered in anapplication list (S211). Here, the application list is a list indicatingapplications registered in the television receiver 200, and is managedby the television receiver 200. The matching table is a table indicatinga correspondence relationship between the device information and theapplication, and is acquired from the application server 12 in advance.

The television receiver 200 determines whether the applicationcorresponding to the device information is not a deleted application(S213). Here, the deleted application refers to an application that hasbeen previously registered but deleted according to a user manipulation.In the television receiver 200, application deletion information ismanaged and automatic registration of the deleted application isinhibited. When the application has not been registered in theapplication list and the application is not the deleted application, theapplication list is updated by application registration (addition)(S215).

When the application determination is terminated, the televisionreceiver 200 generates an application acquisition request based on theupdated application list (S217). Here, information about an acquisitionplace of an application desired to be automatically acquired is includedin the application acquisition request.

The application acquisition request is transmitted to the applicationserver 12 (S219), and the application is received from the applicationserver 12 according to the application acquisition request (S221). Here,a plurality of applications are managed in association with applicationacquisition places by the application server 12, and at least oneapplication corresponding to the connected external device is selectedbased on the application acquisition request. When the application isreceived, the received application is focus displayed in the applicationdisplay area A22 (S223).

As described above, according to the automatic application acquisitionprocess in the present embodiment, an application for controlling anoperation of the external device is automatically acquired from theapplication server 12 with a new connection of the external device.Accordingly, use of an application corresponding to the connectedexternal device and managed by the application server 12 can be urged tothe user. In particular, the user can easily initiate the control of theoperation of the external device through the application by performingthe above-described startup menu display process subsequent to theautomatic application acquisition process.

Since the application corresponding to the connected external device isselectively automatically acquired, the user need not performcomplicated manipulation, such as selection of applications one by oneaccording to external devices. Further, since the automatic acquisitionof a deleted application is inhibited, the user need not performcomplicated manipulation such as re-deletion of the deleted application.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, thepresent invention is not limited to such embodiments. It should beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various modifications,combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending ondesign requirements and other factors insofar as they are within thescope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. (canceled)
 2. An application receiving method comprising: determining a connection of an external device; requesting that the external device transmit device information of the external device; receiving the device information from the external device in response to the device information request; determining whether an application corresponding to the device information exists; determining whether or not the application is a deleted application; transmitting an application acquisition request to the application server; and receiving the application from the application server according to the application acquisition request.
 3. The application receiving method as recited in claim 2, further comprising displaying an indication of the application on a display.
 4. The application receiving method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether an application corresponding to the device information exists comprises determining whether or not an application corresponding to the device exists in a matching table.
 5. The application receiving method as recited in claim 4, wherein the matching table is a table indicating a correspondence relationship between the device information and the application, and is acquired from the application server.
 6. The application receiving method as recited in claim 4, wherein when it is determined that the application exists, the method further comprises determining whether or not the application is registered in an application list.
 7. The application receiving method as recited in claim 2, wherein the application acquisition request comprises information about an acquisition place for the application.
 8. An application receiving device comprising: a processor for determining a connection of an external device, and for requesting that the external device transmit device information of the external device; a first terminal for receiving the device information from the external device in response to the device information request, the processor determining whether an application corresponding to the device information exists, and determining whether or not the application is a deleted application; and a second terminal for transmitting an application acquisition request to the application server, and for receiving the application from the application server according to the application acquisition request.
 9. The application receiving device as recited in claim 8, further comprising a display for displaying an indication of the application.
 10. The application receiving device as recited in claim 8, wherein determining whether an application corresponding to the device information exists comprises determining whether or not an application corresponding to the device exists in a matching table.
 11. The application receiving device as recited in claim 10, wherein the matching table is a table indicating a correspondence relationship between the device information and the application, and is acquired from the application server.
 12. The application receiving device as recited in claim 10, wherein when it is determined that the application exists, the receiving device determines whether or not the application is registered in an application list.
 13. The application receiving device as recited in claim 8, wherein the application acquisition request comprises information about an acquisition place for the application.
 14. The application receiving device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first terminal is a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) terminal, and the second terminal is a network terminal. 